"The locals in the villages of Kfar Shuba and Shebaa told me that in recent months the Israelis in nearby posts have been jamming cellphone lines," says Nick. "Indeed, in Kfar Shuba there was no signal at all and in Shebaa, the signal fluctuated constantly."

But he didn't have to contend with Israeli jamming, which one UN officer he spoke to said was widespread in southern Lebanon. In addition, some of the UN mobile patrols are equipped with cellphone jammers as a precaution against roadside bombs triggered by mobile phones.

"While following a Spanish UN patrol at one point, I lost all signal on my phone, says Nick. "I had to pull over for a few minutes until the Spanish troops had driven far enough ahead for the signal to return."